The New Muslim's Guide to Being Human: Dignity, Mercy, and Justice for Every Person
By Yusef Ali
What does Islam say about people? Not about Muslims. About people — all of them. The Qur'an's first statement about humanity's worth is not conditional. It does not say We have honoured the believers. It says: We have honoured the children of Adam. Every chapter of this book grows out of that verse. Part I asks what a human being is in the sight of God: honoured before birth, born sound, entrusted with the earth, whole in body and soul. Part II turns to mercy, the foundation on which everything else is built, and follows it into the sanctity of life, the demands of justice, and compassion that crosses the boundary of belief. Part III widens the circle: one human family; women and men as the twin halves of one soul; the neighbour, the guest, the migrant; the orphan, the elderly, the widow, the disabled, the debtor; the home. Part IV brings it back to you: character, speech, service, animals and the earth, and the human journey through suffering toward hope. Every chapter argues from the Qur'an, shows the doctrine in a scene from the Prophet's life, and ends with a practice. At the back: forty-three hadith, a twelve-week study guide, the questions people will ask you, the supplications, and a ledger of every right this book says someone holds against you.